


Curiosity

by Viola_Laterra



Category: Enderal (Video Game)
Genre: Brave New World Ending, Compersion, F/M, Gender-Neutral Pronouns, Genderfluid Character, Multi, Polyamorous Character, Polyamory, Post-Canon, Spoilers for Brave New World ending, Transitioning, metamours
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-18
Updated: 2020-07-18
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:33:23
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,133
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25365409
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Viola_Laterra/pseuds/Viola_Laterra
Summary: Three years after the Cleansing, the Prophet, Jespar, and Calia have established lifestyles and patterns that work well for them, and relationships that seem appropriate to their situation.  But when the Prophet is off on a survey for a few days, Jespar and Calia find that their relationship might be ready for something new.~*~Jespar smiled and slid the remainder of his cards towards her; she reached for them at the same time and his fingers brushed hers.He drew his hand back and said, "Sorry."Calia finished pulling the cards close to her and started to gather them back into a stack.  "Why are you sorry?" she said to him.Jespar said, "I try not to touch people if they don't want me to."Calia looked at him, tapping the cards into alignment.  She looked down again, and said, "Who... says I don't want you to."
Relationships: Jespar Dal'Varek/Calia Sakaresh, Jespar Dal'Varek/Prophet | Prophetess, Prophet | Prophetess/Calia Sakaresh
Kudos: 7





	Curiosity

**Author's Note:**

> This piece is an offshoot of ["Companions and Eventualities 8 -- Patience"](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25152190) \-- an eventuality in which the Prophet is able to save both Calia and Jespar and all three of them flee to the Star City (the Brave New World ending of the game). Therefore it represents a kind of Alternative Universe setting, when it stands alone. It's not strictly A/U if you've read "Companions and Eventualities," though.

As the door shut, leaving the room awkwardly silent, Jespar cleared his throat and said to Calia, "Well... would you like to play cards or something?"

She crossed her arms and gave him a long look. "All right." He nodded and went to an adjoining room to get a deck of cards.

Calia watched him go, clearly carefully considering something. When he came back, she said, "You know you were in the wrong, there."

Jespar sighed as he sat down at the table. "What are you, my conscience?" Their eyes met across the table as he began shuffling the cards. He wavered for a moment, but then said, "Yes, I know I was in the wrong. And it's been years since I've slipped up like that. I'll apologize to them, when they get back."

Calia nodded slowly. They were silent for a while as Jespar dealt out a hand for each of them, and they each considered their cards. Then, at length, Calia played a card and said, "You know, I found it pretty difficult to adjust to referring to them as 'them,' too."

"Really?" Jespar asked. The surprise in his voice seemed genuine. "I always thought you took to it more easily than I did."

Calia laughed softly, "Well, I did. But that's not saying much."

"You wound me," Jespar said, but laughed a little. "It's just that I was so used to calling them... well, anyway. After they decided that not being truly human meant that they didn't identify with any physical gender, and that they didn't want *us* to refer to them that way anymore... I mean, I could see where they were coming from, but..."

Calia interrupted, "I was used to it, too. And I'm sure they'll forgive you, especially if you apologize appropriately. And you know they'll be gone scouting for a few days, so there's plenty of time to cool off about it."

"Of course, you're right." Jespar tapped his cards on the table thoughtfully, then pulled one out and played it against Calia's.

"Damn," she said, showing some frustration, then sighing and drawing several cards.

Jespar chuckled. "What is it?" Calia asked, considering her new hand.

He said, "You've just... well. You've loosened up a lot, since we first met, back... then." It was a little taboo to talk about the time before the Cleansing, among the three of them. It was a kind of unspoken rule that no one referred to it by name.

But Calia seemed to forgive the reference. She said, "Well... I've had a lot of time to come to terms with the things that have happened to me, both then and since." She played two cards from her hand. Jespar clicked his tongue and nodded at her, acknowledging a smart play, and drew several cards.

Then he said, "You know, I used to refer to you as 'the sad girl'... you seemed cold, almost withdrawn. I've always assumed it was our companion who drew you out."

Calia put her cards face-down on the table and thought for a moment. "Yes, they did. And... yes, I was."

Jespar considered his cards. "You were what?" he said, a little absently, looking up at her

Calia gave him a little half smile. "I *was* 'the sad girl'... and I was withdrawn. You know why." He nodded; she'd told him about her demon side, not long after the three of them had escaped to the city. She'd said it was a matter of mutual safety. At the time, it was clear that she hadn't really wanted to tell him anything so intimate, but that she'd felt it necessary if they were to survive together up here. 

Now, three years later, things were easier between them. They each had their own intimate relationship with their companion, and they had negotiated how the balance between the two relationships worked. They each slept in their own room, and sometimes their companion stayed with one or the other of them. They tended to eat and recreate together, all three of them, unless one or the other was off on some personal project or to do some joint task that one of them in particular was best suited for. 

But this was the first time their companion was the one who would be gone for several days in a row, leaving the two of them together for an extended period. And so maybe the conversation was taking a more contemplative turn, because of that.

Jespar said, "Well, I'm glad that you did open up a little." Calia watched him carefully, but he seemed quite genuine about it; there didn't seem to be a hidden agenda. She picked up her cards and played several at once. Jespar took some time to consider a counter-move.

While he contemplated his cards, Calia said, "I've told you that I decided I'm not going to wait anymore, to live my life." He nodded. Then she added, a little guiltily, "I have to admit that I didn't think much of you, back... then."

Jespar flicked a glance back up at her as he picked out a few cards from his hand and tossed them on the table with a flourish. He said, "Yes, I did have that impression." But there was humor in his voice and a half smile on his lips.

Calia hissed softly in frustration at Jespar's play, then shook her head and pulled the pile of cards towards herself. As she began to sort through them, trying to decide what strategy to use, she told Jespar, "But you've changed, too."

He laughed. "Yes, and that's... their doing, too. You didn't like me because I avoided responsibility at all costs, until I met them. But I learned... well, you know what I learned."

Calia met Jespar's eyes, gaze surprisingly soft. "Yes, you've told me. That being responsible for the things you care about can be a part of being happy." He nodded. Calia added, "In the end, it's a good thing we were open-minded about each other. I think we've ended up with more in common than we could have guessed." None of this was especially new to either of them; but this was the first time they'd said it quite so plainly to each other.

Jespar laughed and nodded. "I couldn't have said it better." Calia picked up the cards and sighed and said, "I yield," and Jespar smiled and slid the remainder of his cards towards her; she reached for them at the same time and his fingers brushed hers.

He drew his hand back and said, "Sorry."

Calia finished pulling the cards close to her and started to gather them back into a stack. "Why are you sorry?" she said to him.

Jespar said, "I try not to touch people if they don't want me to."

Calia looked at him, tapping the cards into alignment. She looked down again, and said, "Who... says I don't want you to."

Jespar's eyebrows went up. "Well, if you don't mind, then I won't worry so much about it. You've just seemed... particular about it."

Now Calia looked back up and met his gaze steadily. She seemed to have decided something, and was working on committing to it. "I... am particular about it. But... what if..." she still seemed to be struggling a bit with how to say what she wanted to say. "What if I... *want* you to?"

As her meaning settled in, a knowing look crept across Jespar's face. "Oh," he said, crossing his arms and leaning back in his chair. "I see," he said thoughtfully. "You're... sure about that?"

"Not quite. But I am... curious," she said.

"Hmm," Jespar regarded Calia for a few long moments. "I'll admit, I was not expecting... well, for several different reasons, I hadn't thought you'd have any interest."

She set the cards down and said, "Well, I'm telling you I have interest." Jespar leaned forward, elbows resting on the table, hands folded in front of him. "Even with everything you know about me?"

Calia sighed ruefully, leaning forward, herself. "Are you trying to dissuade me?" She actually half-smiled at him.

Jespar looked down, chuckling. "No, I'm not. And... don't get me wrong, I'm certainly interested, if you are. Like I said, I'm just... surprised. And I don't want you to get into something you'll later regret."

Calia laughed softly and said, "What was it they told me you said? 'See where it goes?' "

Jespar looked back up at her and smiled. "I did say that."

"Well," Calia said slowly, "Can't that apply to me -- to us -- too?" Their hands were quite close to each other on the table.

Jespar tentatively reached out with his hands to cover hers. "It can." He watched her shiver at his touch.

"You can trust me to tell you if it's gone too far," Calia said. She stood up; Jespar stood with her, and as they stepped close to each other, he answered her with: "And you can trust me to stop when you tell me to. The last thing I want is for this to turn sour."

"Agreed," Calia said, and with that, she closed the gap and kissed Jespar. It started slow, exploratory, Jespar letting Calia lead, but after a few minutes, Calia had clearly decided this was going in a direction she liked: in her enthusiasm, she shoved Jespar into the table. He broke out of the kiss, a little startled, and seeing the look in her eyes, actually became a little alarmed.

Jespar said, breathing a little heavily, "Are you..." he swallowed. "I'm trying to think of how to ask you this without offending you. But are you sure you can..."

Calia laughed, and there was an ever-so-slightly predatory sound to it. She said, "Control the other part of me?" She shook her head at him in reproach, smiling. "Yes, I can. This is not the first time I've done this, you know."

Jespar nodded, a little nervously. "A-alright," he said. "This *is* the first time I've done this, with you, so... it seemed prudent to ask." 

Calia said, "Prudent, indeed. No offense taken." She ran a hand up his arm to his neck, and watched him shiver as her fingers went from just light pressure through the fabric of his tunic to direct contact on the back of his neck. His look of trepidation was suddenly commingled with intense desire, and he leaned back in to kiss her urgently.

Calia's hands traveled down to where Jespar's tunic was tucked into his belt, and she slowly pulled it up until she could reach underneath to run her hands around his sides to his back, pulling him tight against her. He moaned a little at the pleasurable pressure against sensitive parts, and then moved slowly to kiss her cheek, and then her neck, at the same time finding the ties on her tunic and likewise moving his hands to find skin. She didn't bother wearing a bodice when they weren't out and about, and this morning their companion had left early, so neither of them were dressed for outdoor activities.

Jespar shifted his body away a little and murmured in Calia's ear, "May I?" as he moved a hand just below her left breast. She said, "Mmm-hm," and then moaned as he moved to squeeze it gently. She let that go on for a few moments, but then her hands found his belt again and she undid the buckle and laid the belt on the table behind them, and then slid her hands down his back to grasp a buttock and pull him against her, hard.

"Oh..." Jespar breathed. Calia whispered to him, "Your room, or mine?" He drew in a breath as one of Calia's hands migrated to his front and found an already firm cock. As she ran her hand up it, he managed, "Whatever seems best to you... as long as you keep doing that..." She stroked his cock for a moment, then gave it a quick squeeze and withdrew her hands, stepping away. "Mine, I think," she said. "All... All right," Jespar said, still trying to maintain some form of composure, and followed her back to her room.

Calia stripped off her tunic as she went, and Jespar followed suit. As they met again at the foot of her bed, Calia took a moment to trace myriad scars that webbed Jespar's torso. She was quiet for a moment, fingers lingering on a particularly prominent one on his right side. She looked up and met his eyes, and said, "It was a hard life, wasn't it? Down there."

Jespar nodded solemnly. "I couldn't always afford the best armor or healers... I usually relied on speed and strategy to avoid the worst of it." Calia nodded and said, "Once I was with the Order, I didn't have to take risks like that... I *did* have good armor, and some of the best healers on Vyn." 

Jespar traced a line from Calia's throat, down her sternum, to her belly. He said softly, "But you've told me you lived in the Undercity, as a child, before they took you in." She nodded at him. He looked up at her. "That's a pretty ugly life for a child. I at least had my family, even given who they were, when I was young. And the resources of a Sublime family, too. So I'm not sure which situation was worse."

They stood there for a moment, looking at each other, perhaps seeing a different part of each other for the first time. Then Jespar laughed a little and said, "This, however, does not make for the best foreplay. All that is very much behind us now. Where were we?"

Calia smiled at him and pulled him close and undid the tie that held up his pants, and while he coped with sliding them off his feet, she undid her own and kicked them off to side. A few more items to remove, and then Calia took Jespar by the hands and pulled him down onto her bed.

Jespar reached up for her as she leaned down to kiss him again. He cupped a breast and squeezed a little, lightly pinching the nipple. Calia moaned and broke out of the kiss. He asked her softly, "Good or bad?"

"Good," she said. "Noted," Jespar said, and shifted to slide a hand around her back to cup and squeeze a handful of buttock. She sighed and shifted closer to him, until their bodies were fully in contact.

Jespar paused for a moment. "This won't be like it is with... them," he said. "We all have different preferences, different interests, different responses." 

Calia answered, "I know. But I'm curious just the same." She paused, and then reached forward to stroke his cock again. "If that wasn't clear."

Jespar moaned and said, "No, it's... pretty clear, thank you." Calia laughed, and then slid her hands back up his sides, pulling herself on top of him. "Mmmm," Jespar breathed as she laid the full weight of her body along the length of his. He murmured to her, "And though I know this isn't your first experience, I think I might know a few tricks that you might like."

"I'll bet you do," she murmured back. Then she said something that Jespar, from his reaction, clearly didn't expect. "Surprise me."

"All right," he said gamely. He shifted his body and reached a hand around behind Calia's buttocks, gently sliding a finger up to her labia. She moaned and he asked, "Of interest?" She laughed softly in his ear and said, "Yes."

So Jespar shifted further to the side and stroked her labia until he could feel the wetness come to the surface; then he gently inserted a finger inside her. "Ohhh..." she moaned. "Definitely of interest," she said to him.

He laughed and shifted his hand to cup her vulva, and then did a combination of squeezing outside and stroking inside that was clearly to Calia's liking. Jespar watched her reactions closely, and rather rapidly succeeded in bringing her to climax. As she cried out, there was a very brief moment where a darkness crossed her eyes, but it was quickly gone.

She put a hand on his wrist and he stopped making any motions, and then withdrew his hand slowly, feeling her shudder with pleasure as he did so. After a moment, she opened her eyes and half-smiled at him. "That... is a very nice trick," she said. Jespar laughed.

As they lay there, and Calia's breath returned to normal, Jespar said quietly to her, "You know, you are very beautiful." Calia laughed at him, and said, "You're only the second person ever to say that to me."

Jespar ran his fingers along her side, from her shoulder to as far down as he could reach, and responded, "I am fairly certain that I am *not* only the second person to think it. Maybe just the second person who has had the opportunity to tell you so."

Calia nodded. Then she laughed, "And if you'd said it any earlier, I would have thought you were only after one thing." Jespar laughed heartily in response. "Ah, and given that we're already doing that one thing, you think my motives are more pure?"

She nodded again. Jespar got quiet and said, "Well, maybe they are." After a moment, he added, "We've... clearly had our differences. But now that we live up here, it just seems important to play to each others' strengths, you know?" Calia said, "Yes." They were both thinking about the mutual plans for how to intervene in the next Cycle, and how lonely it would be here in the Star City if all three of them didn't have each other.

Then Calia said, "You really do have trouble staying focused on the foreplay, don't you? You keep straying into philosophy." 

Jespar laughed. "Not always. But that's an apt observation. When I'm taking my time, with people who matter to me... yes, I think I do tend to be more conversational than you might expect. Does that bother you?"

Calia shook her head and said, "No. I think that's part of why I've come to respect you. Realizing that you are a lot more than you seemed to be, when I first met you. And, it gives me time to decide what I want to do next, and time to keep myself... well, calm enough." 

Jespar's eyes widened a little at that last part, but then he said, "I'm glad you decided not to deny yourself these kinds of experiences, anymore." She nodded. Then he added, "And that's not just because I'm benefiting from it, at the moment."

Calia laughed. "Well, you're not really benefiting at the moment. I think I'd like to fix that, actually, if you'd like." Jespar said, "Yes, please," and with that Calia bent down to place her mouth on the head of his cock. Jespar moaned and curled his toes as she started to suck on his cock, moving her head rhythmically. After a minute or two of Calia varying her speed and angle, Jespar gasped and arched his back and then said, "You should know I'm close..." but then trailed off distractedly.

Calia stopped what she was doing, and then shifted her body back against Jespar's. She said, "Then I'd like a change of perspective." Jespar opened his eyes, and after taking in Calia's expression, his look of commingled fear and desire came back. But he said, "All right. Show me what you'd like to try."

"How about this?" Calia asked, and then rolled onto her back, pulling Jespar on top of her. As he settled in, propping himself up on his arms to look at her, she wrapped her legs high around his waist and then reached down to find his cock and guide it inside her. They both moaned and Jespar began to slowly thrust, until Calia cried out in climax again. Then he seemed to lose any track of what he was doing, thrusting faster until an orgasm overtook him, too.

They lay there for a moment, both breathing hard. After a while, Calia let go with her legs and arms, and Jespar climbed off of her and then laid back next to her on the bed. "Thanks for that," he said breathlessly.

Calia laughed and said, "You're welcome. And thank you, too." 

"You're welcome," Jespar said. After a few moments, Calia got up and went to the bathroom to clean herself up a bit, and then Jespar took a turn doing the same. After he returned, he saw that she'd donned her tunic and underthings and was sitting crosslegged on the bed, looking pensive. He pulled on his pants and as he tied them, he said, "You all right?"

Calia nodded, looking over at him and smiling. "No regrets." Jespar sighed in relief. He said, "Good." Pants in place, he walked back over to the bed and gestured to the spot next to her. "May I?"

"Of course," Calia said. Jespar sat down and stretched his legs out, crossing his arms behind his head and leaning back, looking up at the ceiling. After a while, he broke the silence. 

"I know you said you have your... other side... under control, and I trust you -- you know, rationally. But I have to admit that while we were actually intimate, I was still a little afraid." Calia started to say something, but Jespar held up a hand. "And... it was, well." He seemed a little embarrassed. "It was actually pretty exciting." Calia laughed and responded, "That was not the reaction I expected." 

Jespar laughed, and said, "Well, though it wasn't my goal, I'm happy to be able to surprise you." She raised an eyebrow and said, "I've never felt I was putting anyone at risk, when I've been intimate with them. Not our companion, and not you, just now. But... if you like the feeling of danger, then, I'm glad it worked for you." Calia smiled at Jespar with a little glint in her eye.

Jespar smiled back. Then he said, "Speaking of our companion, what are we going to tell them about this, if anything?"

Calia leaned back against the wall, looking up at the ceiling, too. She said, "I... I don't think I want to tell them everything. This feels... private, to me. To the two of us."

Jespar nodded. "All right." Calia added, "It's all right for them to know it happened, and I don't mind if they know *some* details. I just mean I don't want it to be the topic of dinner conversation."

Jespar laughed and said, "Understood. And... you do know they'll be delighted to know it happened. That the relationship between you and me... it's very important to them, too."

Calia nodded. "Yes, I know. It's meant a lot to them that you and I have gotten along better and better, over the time we've been up here." She chuckled. "I'm sure they'll be quite happy to learn that we did this."

Then she looked over at Jespar. "You *are* going to apologize to them, when they get back?" Jespar met her gaze. "Yes," he said. "I know I made a mistake, and I should just have apologized. I shouldn't have gotten so defensive. It's just... sometimes, when we get close to the anniversary of... everything that happened down there..."

Calia sighed and said, "I know what you mean. It all feels so fresh again, even though it's been a almost three years now."

"I just... I feel more trapped by the whole situation when I'm reminded of how it all went." Calia reached over and put her hand on Jespar's leg. "I understand," she said.

Jespar brought his arms back down and put a hand over hers. "Thank you for that." They stayed like that for a minute, and then he said, "And I know they understand that. But I will still apologize properly when they get back. I think it will be all right."

Calia said, "I think so, too." 

The two of them stayed there for a little longer, and then Jespar said, "Well, I have some work to do down in the Archives today." Calia asked, "You're reviewing the earliest records?"

Jespar nodded. "Well, best of luck with that," she said. "Thanks," Jespar said. With that, he took her hand and kissed it, and said, "Thanks again for the nice morning."

Calia laughed, and kissed his hand in return. "You're welcome." Jespar stood, picked up his tunic, and left the room to continue his day. Calia stretched her arms and legs and got up, finished dressing and headed out to start her work for the day, too.

**Author's Note:**

> This is the bit from ["Companions and Eventualities 8 -- Patience"](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25152190) that inspired me to write this piece:  
>   
>  _"Eventually, they'd become friends, and despite these nearly polar opposite underlying personalities and philosophies, they seemed to have come to some sort of mutual understanding; sometimes they even spent various kinds of intimate time together. I didn't ask for details, though sometimes a few would get shared in the course of some other story. But it pleased me, very much, to think that they could also find some kind of comfort and good company in each other."_  
> 
> 
> Please do imagine similarly hot sex happening between the Prophet and both Jespar and Calia when you read "Companions and Eventualities." I only didn't describe it there because I wanted the reader to have the flexibility to imagine the Prophet's gender however they wanted to. I realized, though, that in this case, Jespar and Calia have pretty well defined gender presentation and therefore anatomy, so I could write a more explicit scene. 
> 
> And I really liked the idea of them finding common ground after they'd been up in the Star City for long enough. I felt like, if there are only three people left in the world that you know of, it seems like each combination might be an opportunity for intimacy and these two characters might become interested in that, after a while. During the game, they're designed to be polar opposites who both eventually come to see the validity of the other's perspective (mediated through the Prophet), so by the end of the game, this pairing isn't as implausible as you might think.
> 
> This is also yet another situation in which I found it enjoyable to depict consent, taking things slowly, and taking care of each other, as well as checking in afterwards, during a first intimate encounter between a particular pair. Actually, one should still take the same care every time, but it's especially important when possibly pushing boundaries.
> 
> And I was pleased to work in the question of how we adapt to a loved one shifting or transitioning their gender presentation. When my loved ones have wanted new pronouns or names, even though I am signed up to honor their requests, I have often found it hard to retrain my brain to use the preferred language and thinking. So I might slip up, from time to time. Usually my loved ones still appreciate me making the effort and forgive me my mistakes, which is great. The inspiration here was to still keep the Prophet flexibly gendered -- in "Companions and Eventualities" I did that by using first person -- and I was really pleased with myself to find a way even in third person to keep that conceit, *and* to be able to talk about trying to support loved ones in gender transitions.


End file.
